Post #475249 by jmack on Thu, Aug 6, 2009 9:30 PM

yes im trying to sell these. youre right. Im not a tiki fanatic nor have i ever led on that I am. no need to get so upset.

I apologize if I offended anyone. And I'm sorry that you're offended that I DID use 4 of those images on google that I pulled from here. All the rest I found on google images. by me saying there were some other images i "collected" i wasn't trying to steal anyone's credit nor did I realize how personal some people would take it.

I would just like to get a few things straight here.

1. I am selling all these cups and giving the money to my grandmother. I'm not doing it for anything else. they were her cups.

2. A SPECIAL THANKS to those of this tiki commuunity who emailed me and alerted me to not let them go for cheap or free as they were antique collectors items. the only people who are pissed off at me are the ones who I didnt give the cups to for $5. I am not here to upset anyone or slander or anything like that. Im here to sell these cups to sell them for my grandmother PERIOD. thats OBVIOUS.

3. I am not a tiki fanatic. Although I am a Detroit history fanatic. And the story behind the cups and the Mauna Loa restaraunt intrigued me. Hence me writing that page. That page is nothing more than me doing some homework here, through Wayne State here in Detroit and doing some google searches. The page has had 100+ visits. Its not like I'm mass marketing and slandering tiki culture.

4. Me being "fair to everyone" by posting the cups on ebay was simply me tyring to be cordial and avoid confrontation. But if you want me to be blunt, then so be it. I posted pics of my cups here on tiki central with no intention other than to ask people for information about them. I never knew these were worth anything. within hours I had over 50 emails from people asking me for them, within a day I had 150+ emails. But I also recieved several emails from individuals advising me that people would be rabid about them and they suggested DO NOT give them away, they are VERY valuable to tiki collectors. My original reason for posting was NOT to make money as I did not even realize they were worth anything let alone this entire tiki subculture. Once people were suggesting these cups were worth at least $100 a piece! As soon as I decided that I would sell them and give grams the cash, the hate mail started. Here let me copy and paste one for you:

"You dirty S.O.B.!! You post those pics of those cups and ask for info. I email you offering you $5 each for them and you put them on Ebay? Enjoy your cups asshole, rot in hell. Thanks for ruining my day. Ill be emailing the admin to see that you get banned"

Please note I received at least 15 hate emails and threats.... why?

What would you do? You show some people what you found, you find out its a collectors item, so I decided to sell them and maybe send grandma on a trip or something. So stop trying to make me seem like a tyrant. If anything alot of you are VERY crazy for this stuff and I've recieved quite a few messages and emails similar to this of people who are rabidly pissed off that I wont sell them the cups for $10 or $20.

5. Let me be clear... the REASON I posted the cups in the tiki central MARKETPLACE was to SELL THESE CUPS. PERIOD. Youre very right, Im not a member of the tiki community and I'm not a fanatic about it, although I will admit it is interesting (I've done ALOT of research on the Mauna Loa and Chin Tiki in Detroit since getting into sellign these cups)

All in all I dont get why you're getting so pissed off at me for trying to sell these cups. I post here because I realize you guys love this stuff. Much like I'd be excited if someone posted cool antiques at a vintage detroit forum. To me Sabu sounds like someone who is sincerely upset that he cant get his hands on one of these.

"Or Got Rum?" - As far as saying it was a write up I did, I apologize. You're right. In all honesty I wrote this kinda half minded. I realize that page is a patchwork of my text and ALOT of text taken from a very cool Mauna Loa post here at tiki central forums. So for that I apologize.

please note however, hardly anyone has seen that page aside from you guys and my family. check out the hit counter at teh bottom of the page, its just over 100.

Anyway, Im through writing this novel. But please understand, Im not here to cause any issues with anyone but man you guys get so upset with me. Im simply trying to sell these cups and obviously for as much as anyone wants to bid for them.

There is the one on Ebay and I have one more. And thats it. Im keeping the last 2 for my "Detroit Room"

Thanks guys and again my apologies if I offended anyone. If you want to email me, feel free to contact me at [email protected].

[ Edited by: jmack 2009-08-06 21:39 ]